This past Sunday marked a new era for the Chicago Bears with the debut of the quarterback many have said will be the “savior of the organization,” Caleb Williams. The number one pick in the 2024 NFL draft made his anticipated debut in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans last Sunday. After being down 17-0 in the first half, the Bears’ defense and special teams rallied back and scored 24 unanswered points to start their year off 1-0.
“We’ve got a lot more to get better at, but to get this win, the first win in the books as a rookie starting QB for myself is unbelievable,” Williams told NBC Sports, “I’m happy and excited and ready to go.”
Williams became the first ever number one overall rookie quarterback to win their first NFL game since 2002. Although they won, Williams and the offense did not show out on the stat sheet as many thought they would. Williams only threw for 93 yards in the entire game, completing just 14 out of 29 passes, and he is still waiting to score his first NFL touchdown.
With many attempts in the red zone, the Bears’ offense could not come away with seven points. This begs the question for many, is Williams still the franchise savior, or is it time to panic once again in Chicago?
“It was a frustrating game to play,” said Williams in his post-game press conference. “I need to be better, and I will be better … But for the team to have the fight and resilience that they did shows our character as a team.”
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Williams had high expectations rolling into the weekend as many people wanted to see if his college success would translate to the professional field. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner threw over 10,000 yards and 93 touchdowns in college. Going into the season, many fans and sports analysts believe that Williams will finally help bring Chicago their first Lombardi trophy since 1986.
Williams did have his struggles on the field, and it looked like he got away with a poor performance. With all the hype and anticipation, it is easy to forget that this is his very first NFL game in his rookie season.
There were some miscommunicated throws and missed opportunities to score in the red zone, but as many alluded to, that will come with time and can be fixed. One bright spot is that, despite the missed throws and rookie mistakes, Williams was able to avoid turning over the ball in the game, which kept the Bears’ chances of winning alive.
“I thought he did some great things. He didn’t have the day that he wanted, but his dispositions and body language were positive, and I thought his flow and operation was great,” said head coach Matt Eberlus on the Rich Eisen Show.
The Titans brought the pressure on Williams multiple times, forcing Willams to react to broken plays before the ball touched his hand. During the second quarter, Williams dropped back to pass, but Titans defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day was right in his face. Williams tried to spin around him, but it resulted in a 19-yard sack. It was those types of plays that Williams could get away with doing in college, but in the pros, not so much.
“There are a couple of people that people will look to in adversity,” Eberflus stated. “You got the captains. You got the head coach. But they will look to the quarterback. Williams, although not having the greatest day on the field, he still made sure to not let his teammates give up.”
That fighting spirit helped the Bears rally back and win the game. As a rookie, there are some signs of struggle, but the coaches and players know what Williams is capable of, and with time, Williams will start to feel comfortable and perform like many expect. The offensive line did have some glimpses of concern, which made Williams speed up his progression and miss throws. That is an area that the Bears will be looking to fix so that Williams can produce on the field.
It is not time to press the panic button yet in Chicago. There is so much football to be played and 16 more chances that Williams has to prove why he is the face of the franchise. Many of us have underperformed on the first day at work or in the classroom, but that doesn’t mean we are bad at what we do. Eventually, we figure it out and get into the rhythm of things. Williams has figured out what he is up against, and how he responds is up to him.
“I would say getting back in the lab, getting back with the guys, mainly the wide receivers, tight ends, all these other guys,” Williams told NBC. “Just to make sure we’re on the same page at the end of the week, making sure that when we have these chances, when they want to go cover zero, that we make them pay.”
There is no greater time to respond than with the whole world watching on primetime Sunday night. The Chicago Bears will fly down to Houston to take on the Texans this weekend. Williams has a chance to prove himself against a young and top-ten defense in the league. He will also be going head to head against last year’s rookie of the year CJ Stroud, quarterback of the Houston Texans. Week 2 will be a great test for the number one pick, and he has a chance to flip the narrative after his debut.
With the history of NFL quarterbacks Chicago has had, it makes sense why people have started to panic after Williams’ performance on the stat sheet. No Chicago Bears quarterback has thrown for over 4,000 yards in a season. As fans, let us not press the panic button just yet, let us see how this season goes. The Bears still have hopes of making the playoffs with this group, and the upside to Williams is still great. Willams’s character, work ethic, leadership and motivation to be great are what bring confidence to the Bears organization and the fans. He is a rookie and is still learning, but rest assured, Williams will eventually come into his own.
@Jon_Mathew23
